The Racoon Apprentice
by Blue Tagg
Summary: When a raccoon escapes from Juvenal Detention, Nick is forced to face what he considers his greatest failure.
1. An escaped racoon

**A.N. Hello every-reader and Happy New Year. Blue Tagg here with a new tale. In this story, Nick will have to face what he considers his greatest failure when a young racoon escape's juvie.**

 **I do not own Zootopia.**

* * *

In Zootopia one rainy night, at the Zootopia Juvenile Detention Centre, something was going on. Alarms were going off and lights were flashing. In a sewer system just a mile away, a racoon was crawling out of the drain pipe.

She looked to be about sixteen, wearing an orange jump suit. As she crawled out, she stood up with an angry look on her face as she took out a photo and looked at it.

"Soon you'll pay, ya mangy dog!" the racoon said as she threw the photo to the ground.

She then ran off away from the prison. On the photo she threw away, was a picture of a younger racoon, about 12 years old, wearing a white shirt. Next to her was a grown-up fox, wearing a green Hawaiian shirt and black and purple stripped tie. They looked happy together with the fox having his arm around the racoon's shoulder.

The photo just stood there in the rain.

* * *

At the Zootopia Police Department Precinct 1, a load of Officers was sitting at tables chatting to each other, until Chief Bogo entered the room, and the officers were banging on the tables and chanting.

"All right, sit down!" Bogo ordered everyone, which they did.

"All right, to start off, there's been a break out from the Zootopia Juvenile Detention Centre," Bogo explained. Up on the projector came a photo of the racoon girl in a mugshot.

"Malory Cooney was arrested over a year ago for 4 counts of thievery. We only managed to get her due to anonymous source," Bogo clarified. "And she was only two months away from release."

The officers shook their heads in disappointment. Just then, Officer Francine Pennington noticed one empty seat at the front.

"Uh, where's Officer Hopps and Wilde?" Pennington wonder out loud, which everyone heard.

"Two days ago, the Sheriff of BunnyBurrow contacted, saying there have been a string of vandalism's down in BunnyBurrow. He requested that we send two of our Officers over to help them investigate, and since Hopp's native to BunnyBurrow and she and Wilde visited there sometimes, they were perfect to help investigate," Bogo explained. "And if they were here I would've sent them, but since they're not, I'm sending you and Officer Mchorn to investigate."

Bogo held out a file, which Pennington and Mchorn approached the front and grabbed the file and left.

"Wonder how Nick and Judy are handling their investigation,"

* * *

Down at BunnyBurrow at the Sheriff's office, Nick and Judy, who were in their uniform, were looking over images of Barns, which had graffiti sprayed all over them, and a few crops that were trampled.

"I can't believe someone would go around and spray on barns, not to mention ruin probably someone's hard work," Judy said, sounding steamed while tapping her foot.

"Relax Carrots, we'll get them," Nick said to her as he put a paw on her shoulder and then gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Plus, we found rhino horn shavings, so we have our first clue."

After that, Judy calmed down and had a determined smile on her face.

"Your right, we'll bag these good for nothing vandals. Come one!" Judy urged Nick as she ran off in one direction, leaving Nick alone.

Nick simply rolled his eyes playfully and began to follow her. But as he walked, Nick suddenly began to shiver a bit.

"What was that?" Nick thought to himself. "Something feels wrong, but what? Probably not, but still…"

* * *

 **A.N. Well, that was the first chapter. Malory is out for revenge on Nick, and Nick knows something is off.**

 **Please leave a review.**


	2. Prison investigation

**A.N. Well, here's the second chapter to the story. Here, Mchorn and Pennington will be looking for answers about Malory.**

 **Please leave a review.**

* * *

At the Juvenile Detention Centre, Mchorn and Pennington were looking inside an empty cell. They couldn't enter due to their large size.

"There's no way she could've gotten out on her own," Pennington deduced as she saw the cell.

"And you're right," a voice came from behind. They turned to see a white rhino wearing a dark blue suit and silver tie.

"Warden Michael Charge," Mchorn said with a smile as he shook his paw. "It's been what, six months since that rhino charging contest?"

"Seems about it," Warden Charge said.

"Excuse me Warden, but what do you mean?" Pennington asked, which caused Charge's face to turn serious.

"I've had the guards go over the unscrambled security footage and it confirms that Mallory didn't get out on her own," Charge confirmed. He then got out a tablet and showed a silent video to the two of them.

In the video, it showed a mammal wearing a prison guard uniform walking up to Mallory's cell. The guard then grabbed Mallory by the arm and led her away from the cell and the video ended from there.

"So, one your guards helped her escape?" Pennington concluded.

"Except, that's not one of my guards," Warden Charge said to them. "I've never seen that mammal before in my life."

"Have you managed to I.D. him?" Mchorn asked.

"Or her?" Pennington included.

"No, we have no idea who he or she is," Charge admitted. "But, we found pieces of wool near the cell and on the ground near the hole where they made their escape. And all our sheep prisoners were on the other side of the prison the whole time."

"I know, I checked the footage," a voice called behind them. They looked to see an armadillo wearing a grey dress shirt, black slacks and red tie.

"Dr Malcom Digs; Prison Psychiatrist," the armadillo introduced himself while holding out his arm.

Mchorn and Pennington shook his paw.

"So, you're the Psychiatrist, is there anything you could tell us about Mallory?" Mchorn asked.

"When she was brought in, she was a bit angry," Dr Digs began to explain. "But after a few days, she became depressed. After some convincing, she told me she betrayed the only mammal she had in her life. But, a week ago, she became bitter again, saying she found out the mammal she betrayed wasn't who she thought she was."

Mchorn and Pennington were curious now.

"Has she had any visitors?" Mchorn asked.

"Or letter's or Email's with anyone?" Pennington also asked.

"She had been exchanging Emails with someone, but the messages are now scrambled," Charge explained.

"Uh sir?" a wolf prison guard called out as he approached them. "We trailed the sewer they escaped from to a drain pipe just a mile away. When we got their trail was cold. But, we did find this."

The wolf held out a photo in a plastic bag. The warden had a look at the photo and turned to them.

"Shortly after her arrest, she only had one mammal to visit her. He tried four times to see her, but she refused. He stopped visiting for a year, but tried once more, but she refused him," Charge explained as he showed them the photo.

Mchorn and Pennington had a close look, and they were shocked to see who was in the photo with.

Meanwhile, what the three didn't know was that they were being watched. A young platypus in an orange jumpsuit was watching them. He had a worried look on his face, which then turned into determination.

* * *

 **A.N. So, that was the second chapter. Mchorn and Pennington know what to do now, and the platypus is up to something.**

 **I know the chapters are short, but they'll get longer.**

 **Hope you enjoyed it so far.**


	3. Police tales

**A.N. Hello readers. I'm here with the third chapter of The Racoon Apprentice. It may seem like not much, but it will foreshadow some things to happen later in the story.**

 **Anyway, enjoy.**

* * *

Down in Bunnyburrow, Nick and Judy were in Judy's home with Judy's parents, Stu and Bonnie Hopps, in the living room. Nick was wearing his green Hawaiian shirt, grey slacks and tie. Judy was wearing a pink flannel shirt over a pink shirt and jeans. Bonnie was wearing a blue sleeveless shirt and blue skirt. And Stu was wearing a blue flannel shirt and overalls. Nick and Judy were telling them about their police adventures.

"Wait, so those three kids actually hijacked a truck of cherry-soda, cheese puffs and sugar?" Stu asked after hearing from them.

"And, they kidnapped the most famous heavy metal band in Zootopia," Judy continued. "And they took all those things for a huge party."

"But the weird thing was," Nick continued. "It was just those three boys at the party. They went through all that trouble, but didn't invite anyone, just had it all to themselves."

"That does sound weird," Bonnie agreed.

"Anyway, when we found them, they got on their motor scooters and rode off," Judy continued. "We chased them nearly all over the city, but we or the other officers couldn't catch them. But, thanks to Nick's sly thinking…"

"I anticipated a chase, so I had friends prepare a trap," Nick boasted a bit. "Those kids were obsessed with the word, "extreme," so I had some friends put the word extreme, on the sign for the Precinct. Then they just got all excited when they entered, the ZPD arrested them"

"Well, that sounded like quite the case you had," Stu admitted.

"Well, we had others," Judy said.

"There was this one time a hyena kidnapped a few little girls, then he tickled their feet," Nick told them, which made Stu and Bonnie confused.

"Tickle their feet?" Bonnie said sounding confused.

"He said he wanted to hear them laugh," Judy told them. "But, who knows why, probably a fetish."

"But, we tracked him down," Nick continued. "And **we** got the last laugh."

Judy ended up slapping him on his arm.

"That line wasn't funny then and it's not funny now," Judy stated to him.

Just then, Stu gave a bit of a laugh, which caused Nick to smirk and turn to Judy.

"You were saying?" Nick rhetorically asked, which made Judy pout.

"Sorry, it's just funny when you two are like this together," Stu admitted, much to Judy's annoyance.

"Anyway, we've had our share of strange cases," Nick continued. "And some disturbing. Like this one time, a caribou was mugging mammals."

"How's that disturbing?" Bonnie asked.

"He did it, **in the nude!** " Nick exclaimed, much to Stu and Bonnie's surprise.

"In the nude?" Bonnie asked.

"Why in the name of things holy would someone mug people naked?!" Stu exclaimed while grabbing his ears.

"I'd rather not think about it," Judy said while covering her eyes.

"You guys sound like you've had a lot of cases," Stu said to them.

"There must've been a case that was probably really unforgiving," Bonnie asked them.

"I can think of one," Nick admitted. "And I'm not talking about the Night Howler Case since you already know about that. There was a teenage platypus who was forced by his warthog foster parent to help break into places and steal things."

"Why would he need the platypus to help him?" Bonnie asked.

"Because, the boy was quick, flexible, squeeze into tight spaces, and because of his toxic spurs," Judy explained.

"His toxic what?" Stu asked confused.

"Male platypi have these spurs on their heels which allow them to inject mammals with a toxic substance. Used and a big mammal, it will only paralyse them. But, used on smaller mammals, it will instantly kill them," Nick explained them.

"But, that was back when mammals were Pre-Evolved," Judy explained. "Now, platypi toxic only slows down huge mammals for a few minutes, but it can paralyse smaller mammals for days."

"So, the warthog blackmailed him into committed crimes?" Stu continued.

"Worst part is how the warthog made him," Judy said. "He injected a nanotech bomb inside his six-year old sister's neck and threatened to use it to, **literally** , blow her head off."

Stu and Bonnie both gasped when they heard that.

"How could someone be that cruel to a child?" Bonnie said with tears in her eyes.

"They just are," Nick answered.

"So, what happened to them?" Stu asked.

"We had this friend, Doctor Madge Badger," Judy continued the story. "She and her team were able to suck the bomb right out of the girl's neck before it could go off."

"And after he found out his sister was safe…" Nick continued. "That platypus boy didn't waste a moment to barb the warthog."

"What happened to them after?" Stu asked.

"The girl was placed with a loving hippo couple who were willing to take her in, and we made sure that they **really** had intentions of loving and taking care of her," Judy explained.

"The warthog recovered and was sentenced to life," Nick continued. "And as for the platypus, while he was forced to, he still did awful things. But, he understood and didn't fight. He was sentenced to two years in Juvie, but he was willing to accept responsibility."

"I still can't believe that warthog put those kids through all that," Bonnie said.

"He's worse than Cletus having his boy and his friends vandalise all of Bunnyburrow. Thanks again for solving that again," Stu thanked them.

"Just doing our job dad," Judy replied.

"They were just trying to eliminate the competition," Nick said casually. "Getting rid of the competition and jacking up his prices. And the graffiti was just for fun."

"He almost got me if it weren't for your sneakiness," Stu said to Nick.

"Still can't believe he fell for that old trick," Judy pointed out.

"Ironically, that old trick was invented by a bunny," Nick said to them.

Everyone laughed at the sentence, but then the doorbell went. Bonnie got up and walked over to the door. Bonnie opened the door, and at the door, crouching down, was Chief Bogo, Clawhauser, Mchorn and Pennington.

"Chief Bogo?" Bonnie said once she saw them, which alerted the others as they came up the door.

"Chief, Clawhauser, Daniel and Francine?" Judy said with surprise.

"What're you guys doing here?" Nick asked.

"Looking for answers," Chief Bogo said to them, while looking at Nick.

Everyone walked outside onto the porch to talk.

"What's going on?" Judy asked.

"Two nights ago, there was an escape from the Juvenile Detention Centre," Bogo explained.

"Really, who?" Judy asked.

"Maybe you can tell us, Wilde?" Bogo said as he passed down a piece of paper to Nick.

Nick took the paper to see a picture of himself, and the racoon girl.

"Mal!"

* * *

 **A.N. And, that was the third chapter, and Nick has some explaining to do.**

 **Anyway, I know some of you would think that my info on Platypi poison is wrong, but this is due to their evolution, so their poisoned has changed as well.**

 **Also, about that trick Nick talked about, I think some of you can guess which trick he's talking about, and who's the bunny that invented it.**

 **Anyway, next chapter will be when Nick explains the origins of Malory Cooney.**

 **Till next time.**


	4. A racoon's origin

**A.N. Hey folks, Blue Tagg here with the forth chapter of The Racoon Apprentice. Here Nick will finally tell everyone his history with Mal. It might bring some of you to tears.**

* * *

Nick looked at the photo with shock.

"Mal!" Nick said surprised. He then rubbed the bridge of his temple as he looked away from the others.

"Mal?" Judy asked when he said that.

"So, you do know her," Bogo asked.

"Yes," Nick said as kept his back to them. "(Sigh) You all are aware of my con-artist days, aren't ya?"

Everyone muttered in acknowledgement.

"But what does that have to do with anything?" Francine asked.

"Back then, I wasn't alone. Malory Cooney, or Mal, as I called her. I guess you could say, she was my apprentice," Nick said, which made everyone gasped.

"Your apprentice?" Judy asked with astonishment.

"I guess I should start from the beginning," Nick said. He then sat down on the porch, ready to tell the story.

" _It all started 5 years ago. I was just getting the hang of scamming mammals, in a legal way. I was just walking home through the Rainforest District after my latest con, when I heard something. I saw an eleven-year-old racoon running away from something. She managed to climb up a tree and hid beneath the leaves. As she hid, a group of lions came out looking for her. Once they left, she came down and ran in the other direction. But, those lions found her and cornered her."_

Everyone gasped when heard that.

" _I knew I couldn't let them continue, so before they could do anything, I rushed over, grabbed the girl and ran off with her. The lions chased us, but I gave them the slip. After we lost them, I asked her where she lived, and she told me she didn't live anywhere. I was shocked to hear that. I asked her why they were chasing her, and she showed me a wallet, which belonged to one of them. She told me she didn't have any other choice. After that, she told me her story._

 _When she was a baby, her father died in an accident, so it was just her and her mother. Everything was good for them, until one incident. She was wrongfully expelled from her school for something she didn't do. Someone stole all the school funding's and trophies and destroyed the trophy cabinet, and she got the blame because she was a racoon, and mammals labelled racoons as thieves. If that wasn't bad enough, on that same day, her mother died in a bank robbery."_

When everyone heard, they were shocked. Bonnie, Clawhauser and Francine started to get teary eyed.

" _She didn't have any other relatives, so they tried to put her in a home, but the system was botched. She was then out on her own. A ten-year-old girl, alone on the streets. After that, she showed me the place she was living by herself, an abandoned church. For a girl her age, she was surprisingly good at gymnastics, acrobatics and parkour, so she could get up there easily. She told me she tried to take the wallet because she had no other choice, but as you know, that didn't turn out so well. The girl had nothing, no family, no friends, deprived of her education. When I looked at her, I felt like I was looking at myself back when I was younger. Back then I had Finnick, but she didn't have anyone. Eventually she found out about my con-work, and seeing as it was better and more legal, she asked me how I did it. After explaining, she asked me to help her out. So, I decided to make her my apprentice._

 _I let her come live with me, back then my living conditions were a_ _ **little**_ _better than hers. Over the next few years I taught her how to scam, read mammals, know how to figure them out. But, an education is still important, so I got her a tutor to keep up with her studies. And when we weren't scamming people, we had many fun times. (Sigh) I loved her like a daughter."_

Everyone listened as Nick told the story. Nick then took a look at the photo with tears in his eyes.

" _But then, when Mal was fourteen, she began to question me. Like 'why weren't we making more, and get some fancy stuff?' I told her we didn't need all that stuff. Next thing I knew, she started going behind my back. She was sneaking and stealing directly from fancy houses, you know, those rich snobs. I confronted her about it, and she told me that she was doing what was best. I tried to convince her to stop. I may have not made an honest living, but I knew when to draw the line. Mal, she crossed it._

 _I had to make a tough decision. I found out her next target and… I placed an anonymise on her."_

The group gasped when they heard that Nick say that.

"Wait, that was you?" Bogo asked. Nick nodded in confirmation as he continued.

" _I was there when she was arrested. I watched from the top of the building just across the road. I watched as she was captured. As she walked she spotted me. I could see the anger in her eyes, and I just watched her with disapproving eyes._

 _I expected you guys to come barging in at my place at any moment, but you never did. I was surprised. I went to the prison to see her, but she refused to speak to me. I tried a few more times, but she refused to see me. So, I gave up. Pushed all my feelings inside and stopped trying. I hid how I felt and continued my way of living. But, I knew it would always come back to haunt me."_

* * *

 **A.N. Well, that was the forth chapter. So, Nick and Mal had a Batman and Robin relationship. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Please leave a review.**


	5. Memories

**A.N. Hey folks, this is the fifth chapter. We just heard Nick's history with Mal. Now let's see where it goes from here.**

* * *

Everyone just stared in shock once Nick finished his story. Nick just stood there looking at the photo. Nick then got up and walked over to the fence of the porch and just leaned on it. Nick was filled with sorrow as he looked at the photo.

"So, now you know the story," Nick said in despair.

Chief Bogo walked up to him and just stood there. Nick was expecting a harsh talk about what he did was wrong. But to his surprise, Bogo patted Nick on the back.

"You had no choice Wilde, she could've ended up worse," Bogo said to him.

Judy approached to him and put her paw on his.

"Nick, you can't beat yourself up over what she chose, it was her choice," Judy said to him.

Everyone else gave out words of encouragement.

"You may think I had it all, I still felt crummy," Nick admitted. "Back then, Mal was the only good thing that ever came into my life and I lost her. But that was only three months until…" Nick then looked at Judy, which made her realise.

"Until we solved the Night Howler case together," Judy finished, which Nick nodded in confirmation.

"During the Night Howler fiasco, I went to check on Mal, to make sure she didn't go savage," Nick admitted. "She still refused to see me, but it was confirmed that she was alright, much to my relief."

Bonnie then approached him.

"I still can't believe all that happened," Bonnie admitted.

"Well, it did. And you want to know the worst part?" Nick asked them, which caught everybody's attention. "Worst part is that… I was in the middle of filling out the forms, to officially make her my adopted daughter."

Everybody was surprised when they heard that, that he was looking to adopt her.

"But after that, I stopped filling in the forms," Nick admitted.

Bogo then put a paw on his shoulder.

"You can't dwell on the past right now Wilde," Bogo told him. "Right now, Malory Cooney is an escaped convict."

Nick then turned to Bogo.

"You're right," Nick agreed. "And after everything I put her through, she probably has it out for me."

Judy looked at her partner with concern, as did the others.

"How did she escape?" Nick asked.

"She had help," Mchorn answered as he stepped forward. He then pulled out a tablet and showed them the footage of Mal and the guard dressed ram leaving her cell. "So, she had help."

"Yes. From what we found out," Pennington began. "A ram dressed up like a guard and escorted her out."

"Has she ever had a ram friend when you two were together, or before?" Bogo asked.

"None whatsoever," Nick answered. "We've never had a ram friend, or has she ever mentioned one."

"Have you managed to identify the ram?" Judy asked.

"No, his face was never shown," Mchorn answered. "He didn't even leave any hoof prints. Only thing found was some wool, and based on the body, we could only guess it's a ram."

"So, there's a racoon thief and an unidentified ram at large," Nick said. "So, what now?"

"Let's head back to Zootopia and begin tomorrow," Bogo explained, which Nick and Judy nodded in agreement.

Nick and Judy gathered their things and put them in the cars that the officers arrived in. Once they were done, Nick and Judy turned to Stu and Bonnie.

"Sorry we couldn't stay longer, but we have to go now," Judy said to her parents. They then hugged her.

"We understand, Bun-bun," Bonnie said. They then turned to Nick. "Nick, honey, are you okay?"

"I will once I find Mal," Nick said.

"Nick, you can't beat yourself up over what happened with her," Stu told him.

"Yeah, but still. I'll have to face her again," Nick said.

"Well Nick, just know we're here for you," Bonnie reassured him.

Bonnie and Stu then gave Nick a hug. After that, Nick and Judy got into the back of the car, which then drove off.

* * *

During the ride, Nick and Judy were sitting at the back, with Bogo at the wheel and Clawhauser in the passenger seat. Bogo looked at Nick through the rear-view mirror, who was just looking out the window.

"Are you sure you want to help bring her in, Wilde?" Bogo asked.

"I'm responsible for what happened to her," Nick explained. "And she probably blames me for everything. I have to be the one to face her."

"Very well, but for now, when we get back to the city, I'll drop each of you home and you'll meet us at the precinct tomorrow morning," Bogo informed them.

"Actually sir, I think I'll get out at Nick's," Judy asked.

"Very well Hopps," Bogo allowed.

The drive was quiet for the rest of the way to the city.

* * *

Once they arrived at Nick's apartment building, Nick and Judy got out of the car. Bogo and Clawhauser drove off.

Nick and Judy walked into the building and went up to Nick's two-bedroom apartment.

"I'm still surprised you keep this place clean," Judy said as they walked in.

"I take pride in the place I live," Nick joked, seemingly back to his old self, but then he moped again.

Nick then got two cans of soda out of the fridge for them and passed it to Judy. Nick then left and returned with a box in his paws, which peeked Judy's interest.

"What's that?" Judy asked.

Nick then opened the box to reveal some stuff in there. First, he took out a framed photo of the same picture of him and Mal.

"You two must've been really close," Judy assumed as she saw the photo.

"Very close," Nick said as he rummaged through the box. He then got out a photo book and opened it.

Judy looked at the different photos of Nick and Mal. First one she looked at was one with Nick and Mal holding pawpsicles. Then she turned to the picture of him and Mal wearing helmets, riding on a sled in Tundratown.

"Sometimes, after we made pawsicles, Mal would want to play in the snow for a bit," Nick said as he remembered.

Judy then continued to look through the photos. Judy then looked at one with Nick, wearing black swim trunks, and Mal, wearing an orange one-piece swimsuit, standing in front of a beach.

"That's when I took her on a trip to the beach. I remember the fun we had. Especially…" Nick motioned to the photo beneath. It was a picture of Mal's body buried in the sand with on her head and feet exposed. Judy found it funny.

Judy then looked at a photo of Nick pushing Mal on a swing.

"Mal said that her mother used to push her on the swings, so she asked me to do the same," Nick said as he looked at the picture.

Judy then looked onto one last picture. It was one of Nick, wearing a black suit, and Mal, wearing a blue sleeveless dress. They appeared to be at a dance.

"That's when me and Mal went to a dance," Nick said. "Sure, we went there for a scam but, we had taken time to have what felt like, a father-daughter dance."

Judy could see the hurt in Nick's eyes.

"This was the last photo before…" Nick indicated it was their last photo together before Mal's arrest.

Judy looked in the box and found a stuffed teddy bear. Next to it was a photo of a racoon couple holding a baby racoon, and another photo of a racoon woman and a little racoon girl.

"Are those?" Judy asked.

"Yes, those are Mal's parents," Nick confirmed. "And the teddy was Mal's as well. They were one of the few things she had with her in that abandoned church."

"So, you kept hold of them?" Judy asked.

"Yes," Nick said as he put the items back in the box.

Nick then put the box away and just stared out the window.

"I've really messed up, didn't I," Nick said with sorrow.

"Nick, you can't blame yourself. She chose to rob mammals," Judy said. "You may have failed back then, but you can try to help her now."

Nick just stared at the window, then back at his girlfriend.

"You're right," Nick admitted. He then leaned down to Judy's level. "Thank you, Carrots, for always being there for me." Nick then gave her a kiss on the lips.

"Always," Judy said as she returned the favour. Nick and Judy kissed.

* * *

 **A.N. Well, that was the fifth chapter. So, Nick has been told everything about how Mal escaped and he showed Judy some personal objects. Now, next chapter the search for Mal is on.**


	6. A Break-in and Takeover

**A.N. Hey folks, this is the sixth chapter. Here the duo is about to start the search for Mal but are interrupted.**

 **Please leave a review.**

* * *

The next morning, Nick and Judy woke up to the sound of banging on Nick's door. Nick then walked out of his room to hear the banging. Then he heard someone calling his name.

"NICK, NICK, ARE YOU THERE!" A deep voice called from the other side of the door. Nick knew who it was. He walked over to the door and opened it, which revealed his friend Finnick.

"Nick thank goodness you're here!" Finnick said as he entered the apartment. "I've just heard from some friends, Mal…!"

"I know," Nick calmly said to his friend.

"Oh," Finnick said as he calmed down.

Just then Judy came out of her room and saw Finnick.

"Hey Finnick," Judy greeted him. "I take it you've heard about Mal."

"You told her?" Finnick asked his old partner.

"Once we heard about Mal, even showed her the old photos," Nick explained.

"What did you think of Mal?" Judy asked the fennec.

"I really liked the kid," Finnick began to explain. "She had a knack for tricking others, just like her old mentor." Finnick nudged to Nick.

"Stop," Nick said feeling embarrassed.

"I would sometimes tease her, calling her Nick's little racoon," Finick said, which made Judy giggle. Finnick then turned serious. "After Mal's arrest, I gave Nick a good berating. He just said that she crossed a line."

"And she did," Nick said.

"Still, I was shocked considering you were protective of her," Finnick said.

"I wasn't that protective of her," Nick argued.

"You gave her an 8pm curfew, you made sure she got good grades with her tutor, you chased away any boy who tried to hit on her, you were always nervous when she did her acrobatics…" Finnick listed, much to Judy's amusement.

"Okay, okay, maybe I was a bit, overprotective," Nick said. Nick then sighed. "And know, there's no doubt that she'll wish to take revenge against me."

Judy walked over and comforted him.

"We'll find her Nick," Judy reassured him.

"If you need help, just let me know," Finnick told his old partners.

"Thanks, you two," Nick thanked them.

* * *

After Finnick left, Nick and Judy got dressed and made their way towards the Precinct. They entered the building and approached Clawhauser, who was at his receptionist desk.

"Morning guys," Clawhauser greeted them. "How're we doing this morning?"

"Fine Clawhauser," Nick replied. "Any word on how the search for Mal's going?"

"We checked the places you suggested, even the church. But she wasn't at any of them," Clawhauser said.

"Guess she wouldn't stay there if she was on the run," Nick said. "Have you found out anything on the ram who helped her?"

"We haven't found any trace of him/her," Clawhauser admitted.

"But, we just found out where she just was!" Bogo said as he walked toward the group.

"You did?" Judy asked.

"Last night there was a robbery down at the storage unit in Tundratown. And forensics shows her DNA at the crime scene," Bogo informed them.

"I'm surprised she's going back to thieving already," Nick said. "What valuables did she steal?"

"Actually, what were stolen where machine parts," Bogo explained.

"Machine parts?" Nick said in surprise. "That doesn't sound like her?"

"Well, her DNA was all over the place," Bogo said to them.

"But why would she steal machine parts?" Judy asked.

Just then the phone rang from reception, which Clawhauser answered.

"ZPD, …what, …we'll be there soon," Clawhauser put the phone down. "Guys, there's a robbery in progress at the machinery lab not far from here.

"We'll send a few squads," Bogo proclaimed. Bogo then turned to Nick and Judy. "You two up for this?

"Mal will have to wait for the time being," Nick said. "Right now, we need to stop these mammals who are taking over the lab."

"Then get your furry butts into a squad car," Bogo ordered them. Nick and Judy made their way to a squad car.

* * *

The duo, along with a few officers drove towards the building, seeing the front was covered by a metal wall.

Bogo arrived and approached the wombat that was standing out the front, along with a few others.

"Glad you're here," the wombat said. "These people just came in and threw me out. They then activated the lockdown."

"Any hostages?" Bogo asked.

"None, I checked and everyone who was in the building at the time is present and accounted for here," the wombat explained, much to everyone's relief. Officer Mchorn approached.

"I can easily charge a hole through that barrier," Mchorn declared as he was about to charge, but the wombat stopped him.

"Actually, you can't. The barrier is made of strong titanium. No way you can just simply charge through it," the wombat explained.

"So, we can't get in?" Bogo clarified.

"Actually, there is one entrance, but only small mammals can fit through it," the wombat explained.

"Like a rabbit and fox?" Nick asked, which made everyone caught onto his drift.

"Yes, you two can fit through," the wombat said.

"Are you sure you two are up to this?" Bogo asked.

"Well, we don't have any other option sir," Nick pointed out.

"Okay, just go in there and try to see if you can deactivate the shutdown," Bogo advised.

"The control panel to the lockdown should be on the second floor," the wombat explained. He then gave Nick a key card. This will get you into the room and allow you to turn it off."

Nick and Judy nodded in agreement. They then snuck round the back and went through the small entrance.

* * *

Once they were inside the building, they looked snuck around to get towards the second floor. They manage to get to the stairway towards the second floor. They had their tranquilizer guns out ready.

"Where are the mammals that are taking over the place?" Judy asked.

"They're probably in a room gathering as mush machinery as they can," Nick suggested.

They continued to make their way towards the second floor. They then entered a room that was completely empty.

Just then, the door they came through closed behind them.

"Okay, this is the ZPD, come out with your arms up!" Judy demanded as they took their stances. They looked around to see no one. But, they realised they weren't alone.

"Well, it is true," a voice came from not so far away. Nick and Judy turned to see a female teenage racoon, wearing a white tank top, blue jeans and a grey jacket. She seemed to be glaring at Nick. "Hello Nick,"

"Mal."

* * *

 **A.N. Well, that was the sixth chapter and Nick is finally meeting up with Mal for the first time in over a year.**

 **So next chapter will be a major confrontation.**


	7. A Reunion

**A.N. Hey folks, this is the seventh chapter. Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Anyway, here we have the reunion between Nick and Mal. But, is there more to it?**

* * *

Nick stood there looking at Mal with complete shock.

"Mal," Nick simply muttered looking at her.

"Hello Nick, been over a year?" Mal asked as she looked at him. "So, it's true, you really became the first fox to be a cop. This is surprising, coming from you." Mal then turned to Judy. "And I see you've got yourself a new partner."

"You know, from what Nick told me about you, it seems hard to believe you're the same girl he described," Judy pointed out.

"Well, that turned out to be a lie," Mal said.

"Mal, I did what I did because you gave me no other choice," Nick told her. "You crossed the line."

"And yet you didn't do the same," Mal said to him, which confused Nick.

"What?" Nick asked in confusion.

But just then, they heard a cry. They looked behind Mal to see a young Kudu running towards them holding a gun.

"Eat it, fox!" the kudo cried out as he began shooting at Nick.

Once he was done, the kudu stood there proudly, but then he realised. Nick felt nothing had hit him. He then turned to the wall behind him to see it covered in blue splotches. He then turned to the kudo.

"You're a rotten shot," Nick told the Kudo. He then got out his tranquiliser gun and shot him with a dart, which knocked him out. "I'm not." Nick and Judy then turned to see Mal was gone.

"She's gone," Judy noticed as she cuffed the kudu. She then looked at the blue splotches on the wall, and she instantly knew. "Nick, I think this is Night Howler."

Nick looked and knew she was right.

"He tried to savage me," Nick realised.

"Nick, we need to deactivate the lockdown to get back-up inside," Judy informed him.

Nick nodded his head in agreement. They ran down the hall, until it led them to a wall that led two ways.

"We're going to have to split up," Nick suggested, much to Judy's shock.

"Split up?" Judy asked. "Are you sure that's wise."

"It's our only option to find the lockdown system," Nick reasoned. Judy then nodded her head.

"You go that way, I'll go this way," Judy said. But before they could split, Nick gave Judy a kiss on the cheek.

"Good luck Carrots," Nick said. The two went off in different directions.

* * *

Judy was looking for the control panel. Until she found herself at a dead end.

"I hope Nick's having better luck," Judy said to herself, but then a voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Well, look who we have here," the voice said. Judy turned to see a young boar, wearing a black hoodie and jeans, holding a big malate. "If it isn't the little rodent herself."

"You did not just call me rodent!" Judy said sounding peeved.

The boar then tried to smash Judy with the malate. But Judy, using her speed and agility kept dodging it.

"What are you doing and your gang doing here?" Judy asked as she kept dodging.

"I'm not entitled to tell you," the boar said. "But I will tell that we are going to continue the work that you, and your good for nothing fox-friend ruined." As Judy kept dodging, she realised what he meant.

"You're talking about Bellwether's conspiracy against predator's, aren't you?" Judy guessed, which caused the boar to stop.

"We're going to show the world that predators should be locked up in cages," the boar said.

"But you're working with Malory, and she's a predator," Judy explained.

"Don't remind me, but our current leader told us to work with her, and I trust him. So, I'll put up with it," the boar explained as he continued to try and squash Judy.

"So, you're just gonna shoot every predator in Zootopia with Night Howler pellets?" Judy asked.

"Oh no, too small," the boar said. He then hit Judy and pushed her to the corner. "Our leader thought bigger." He then approached her and lifted up his hammer, ready to squash her.

"But you won't live to see it." The boar said as he held the raised hammer.

* * *

Nick walked through the hallway and was now in a room where the control panel to the lockdown was. As he approached him, he turned around to see Mal again.

"Alone I see," Mal said to him.

"Mal, why you here, in this place?" Nick asked.

"Well, the mammals that helped me wished for my help getting them in here," Mal explained. "Plus, their leader helped me see the truth."

"What truth?" Nick asked as Mal drew closer.

"Of what you, did!" Mal said as she kicked him in the gut, pushing him away.

Nick recovered from that quickly. Mal then tried to hit him with a punch, but Nick managed to dodge it. Mal kept trying to punch and kick him but kept dodging and blocking him.

"I was the one who taught you some moves, remember? So, I know how to deal with them," Nick said to Mal as he continued to block Mal's attacks.

"You learned your moves from ZooTube videos," Mal pointed out.

"Well, I've learned new moves from the Academy," Nick said as he did a roundhouse kick, but Mal backward somersault to dodge it. Nick then tried to do a leg sweep, which Mal dodge by doing a backflip.

"And I've learned new moves, you mangy dog," Mal said as she did a roundhouse kick as well, which hit Nick, but he recovered from it.

"Mangy dog? That's a new one?" Nick asked.

"Well, that's what Richie called you," Mal said as she continued to attack him.

"Is he the ram that helped you out?" Nick asked, which caused Mal to stop her attacks.

"Yes. He's also an old schoolmate of mine," Mal said, which made Nick surprised.

"Schoolmate? But you've never mentioned him before," Nick pointed out.

"We weren't really that close at all, but we've been exchanging Email's lately, which led him to showing me what you did, so he helped me out, so I can get you for what you did!" Mal exclaimed.

"I called the cops on you because I had no other…" Nick tried to explain, but Mal interrupted him.

"I'm not talking about you having me arrested!" Mal exclaimed, which surprised and confused Nick.

"What, you're not?" Nick asked.

"No, my hatred for you is for a deeper reason," Mal said to him.

"Is it about me teaching you…" Nick asked but was interrupted again.

"No, this is about you killing my mother!"

* * *

 **A.N. Well, that was the seventh chapter. And what a twist, or is it? What happened to Judy? And what's really going on with Mal?**

 **See you in the next chapter. Ciao**


	8. A new ally

**A.N. Hey folks, here's the eight chapter of my story. Here, Judy will meet up with an acquaintance, and if you really want to know who he is, think back a few chapters. And we find out why Mal really hates Nick.**

 **Please leave a review.**

* * *

Judy braced herself as the hammer, but it never slammed. The boar was about to slam it down when he felt a peck on his back. He then felt spasm all over his body and fell to the ground. Judy turned to see a male teenage platypus, wearing a black 3 quarter-sleeved shirt, blue jeans and a blue backpack. He was staring at the boar.

"You're only the second pig I have no problem paralysing," the beaver said to the still boar. He then turned to Judy. "Officer Hopps."

"Paul Typus," Judy said as she saw him. She knew who this platypus was.

"Good to see you again," Paul said. "Last time, you and Officer Wilde saved my sister from the bomb inside her head, and you helped take that warthog down."

"Yes, I remember. But, why are you here. You're supposed to be in prison right now," Judy reminded Paul as she cuffed the boar.

"I know, and honestly, I don't know how I got out, but I know…" Paul explained, but was interrupted when a loud noise came. The noise sounded like a faint horn.

Judy and Paul listened to the horn until it stopped.

"It sounded like it came from the other side of the building," Paul theorised.

"Nick!" Judy realised. The two went running towards the other side of the building.

* * *

Nick stood there in shock over what he heard. Mal believed he killed her mother?

"What?" Nick asked in confusion.

"I know you were the one who killed my mother," Mal said in anger.

"Mal, I never did anything like that my whole life," Nick reasoned, but she wouldn't listen.

"Liar! I saw the security footage, you shot my mother!" Mal said as she began to attack Nick again, but he kept dodging and blocking.

"Mal, I'd never do anything like that," Nick said. "Plus, the real person who killed your mom was caught after her death."

"I don't believe you," Mal said as she continued to attack. "You killed my mom, which left me out on the streets. Then you make me think you were my friend, only to backstab me."

"If anything, you backstabbed me," Nick countered, both physically and verbally. "If it weren't for me, those tigers would've killed you. I took you under my wing because I saw that you needed someone. I loved you like a daughter. And I felt betrayed when you went behind my back and stole from mammals."

The two stood there in silence. But before they could do anything, a loud horn noise occurred. Both Nick and Mal covered their ears.

Nick was able to look at Mal. While Mal was distracted by the horn, a book shelf began to tumble, and it looked like it was going to land on top of Mal. Nick reacted on instinct.

"Mal, look out!" Nick said as he ran towards her. Just before the bookshelf toppled, Nick ran towards Mal and talked her out of the way. Just then the noise stopped.

Mal was now aware of her surroundings and saw the bookshelf that was just in front of her, and that Nick pushed her out of the way.

"You, saved me," Mal said with shock.

But before Nick could answer, the horn noise came off again and Nick covered his ears, until it stopped.

When Nick looked up, he saw Mal was gone.

"Nick!" Nick turned to see Judy running towards him. "What happened?"

"This loud horn came, most likely a fox horn, and then Mal was almost crushed…" Nick said as he realised. "Where's Mal?"

"She's gone," Paul simply said, which caught Nick's attention.

"Paul Typus?" Nick said as he saw the platypus.

"Officer Wilde," Paul replied.

"It's good to see you kid, but what are you doing here? And how did you get out of Juvie?" Nick asked.

"Well, I'm not sure how I got out," Paul replied, scratching the back of his neck. "I was simply in my cell sipping on a bottle of water, then next thing I knew, I passed out. When I came to, I was in an alley not far from here, with this backpack laid beside me, with these clothes inside it. Then I get a call from this phone," he presented them a burner phone.

"From who?" Judy asked.

"Not sure? But he said I needed to come here and help you two with Mal," Paul explained.

"You know Mal?" Nick asked.

"Yes, I know her," Paul admitted. "I met her not long after I arrived. We became close. And I'm aware of your history with her, Officer Wilde." Nick sighed in defeat.

"Bet she really hated talking about me," Nick assumed with a hint of guilt.

"Actually, she held you in high regard," Paul said, which surprised Nick. "She actually felt guilty when she talked about you."

"She did?" Nick said with hope. Paul nodded in confirmation.

"But a week ago, she began exchanging Email's with someone, then she got angry at the mention of you, and I don't know why," Paul admitted, which Nick knew.

"Because, she blames me for her Mother's death," Nick said, which caught Judy and Paul's attention.

"What?" Judy and Paul replied.

"When we were fighting, she said she saw footage of me shooting her mother, but I never did anything like that in my life," Nick said.

"How is that possible?" Judy asked.

"I don't know," Nick said.

Everyone remained silent for a moment, until their radios went off and they heard Chief Bogo's voice.

"Hopps, Wilde, do you read me, did you find the control panel?" Bogo asked through the radio, which made them realise.

"We still need to shut down the lockdown," Nick realised.

"The control panel should be over there," Paul said as he pointed in the right direction. Nick and Judy looked at him confused. Paul then got out blueprints from his backpack. "Whoever got me out also gave me blueprints to the building, which was how I got in."

"Seriously, who is this guy that's helping you?" Nick asked Paul.

"I don't know, but right know my only concern is stopping Mal from making the biggest mistake of her life," Paul admitted.

"Me too," Nick agreed.

"Oh, before I forget," Paul remembered as he searched through his back and brought out a flash-drive. "Whoever got me out also wanted me to give this to you. He said you and the ZPD need see what's on here, and that it might explain a few things." Paul explained as he gave the flash-drive to Nick.

Nick was confused, but he nodded in confirmation.

The trio went up to the control panel and shut down the lockdown.

Outside, the officers saw the gates opening. They then went in rushing.

Bogo approached Nick and Judy.

"What happened?" Bogo asked.

* * *

 **A.N. Well, that's the eight chapter, and it seems the ZPD have a new ally in this case. Now there's more going on, and who let Paul out?**

 **T.T.F.N (Ta Ta For Now)**


	9. The one who got away

**A.N. Hey folks, here's the ninth chapter. Here we'll get some answers and know who this Ritchie really is.**

 **Please leave a review.**

* * *

After what happened at the lab, the officers took the kudu and the boar to the Precinct, where Nick, Judy and Paul explained everything.

"Let me get this straight," Bogo started off. "Malory believes Wilde killed her mother, is working for the sheep who is trying to recreate Bellwether's work," he then turned to Paul, "And someone got you out of prison and told you to help us?"

"That seems to cover everything," Judy said. Bogo then turned to Paul.

"I know you're a good kid Paul, but what do you get out of this?" Bogo asked the Platypus.

"My only concern is keeping Mal from making a big mistake," Paul answered.

"You do realise that by you getting out will only increase your sentence," Bogo told the platypus.

"If it means helping Mal, then I'm willing to accept that," Paul said

"You do have a tendency to break the law for those you care about," Bogo pointed out.

"Well, both times I wasn't given a choice. Here, I was broken out by someone even when I didn't even ask, and first time it was either do those robberies, or my sister's head goes boom," Paul argued, he then turned sad a bit. "Speaking of which, how is Chloe doing?"

"She's doing well," Nick said. "Ran into her last week along with the hippo couple that's adopted her, Heath and Gloria Poddle. They're taking real good care of her."

"I'm glad to hear that," Paul said feeling relieved.

Just then, Marcus the aardwolf of forensics approached them holding a tablet.

"Sir, after analysing the footage at the lab and some hoofprints, I've finally found out who this Richie, sheep is," Marcus explained. He then showed them a picture of a young ram. "His name is Richard Ramington." That name instantly clicked inside the officer's heads.

"Richard Ramington, the one who got away," Nick said, which everyone agreed, except Paul.

"The one who got away?" Paul asked. Judy began to explain his story.

"Richard Rammington was a member of Bellwether's conspiracy to turn all predators savage. He was the youngest one involved. But when the conspiracy came into light and everyone involved got caught, he was the only to evade ZPD capture, and dropped off the grid," Judy explained.

"Whoa, to be part of that at his age? Wonder what his parents might think?" Paul wondered.

"Actually, his parents would probably be thrilled," Nick said, much to Paul's confusion. "Rammington's parents where predator haters as well. They were involved with the conspiracy too but were caught like the others. After finding out the things they did before that, they were taken to a mental institute. But Richard was still missing."

"So, he comes from a family of psychos," Paul said, which everyone muttered in agreement.

"So, what do they want with Mal?" Judy wondered.

"No doubt to use her skills to help break into both facilities," Nick suggested.

"But what would they want with all the stuff they stolen?" Paul wondered.

"I've checked what equipment were stolen and the parts are very specific. Clearly, they're building something," Marcus deduced.

"But what?" Bogo wondered.

Just then, Mchorn came into the room and approached the group.

"I've just interrogated the two that Hopps and Wilde captured," Mchorn started. "They said that Richard getting instructions from some unknown mammal via Email."

"I'm willing to bet that it's Bellwether that's giving the orders," Judy suggested.

"Well, luckily the kudu had a flash drive with him, so I gave it to the IT Department to see what's on it," Mchorn informed them.

"And how do we know it has anything useful on it, or if it isn't the old trodden horse routine?" Nick asked.

"I've got the boys scanning it for anything bad," Mchorn informed them.

Nick then got out the flash drive that Paul gave him from the mysterious caller.

"What's that you got there Wilde?" Bogo asked.

"That's the flash drive that was in the backpack when I woke up," Paul explained. "The caller said that Nick needed to see what was on there, said it can uncover a few things."

"Uncover what?" Judy said.

"Only one way to find out," Nick said as he walked over to a computer and plugged the flash drive in.

The looked at the flash drive and found two videos on it. They opened the first video, which completely shocked everyone. It showed footage of Nick, shooting a female racoon.

"I… I don't," Nick stuttered in utter shock. "I've never done that to anyone in my whole life."

"Wilde, calm down." Bogo advised him.

Mchorn looked at the picture of Mal's mother.

"I recognise that woman," Mchorn said, which caught the other's attention. "Vanessa Cooney."

"Vanessa Cooney? That's the name of Mal's mother, the one that was killed," Nick realised.

"But it was a wolf who killed her. I know, because I'm the one who arrested him," Mchorn told them, which made Nick more confused.

Paul then pulled up the second video, which was a security footage of Nick and Finnick sitting together at a bar.

"Hey, I remember this," Nick said. "That day, some leopard lady tried to tell us off because she thought Finnick was a child. Boy was Finnick mad." As he said that, Finnick was shown ranting at a leopard lady, which made Nick chuckle as he remembered that.

Judy looked at both security footages and looked at the date and times on them.

"Look at the time codes and dates on both of the footages," Judy pointed out.

They looked at the time codes on both footages.

"They match," Nick realised.

"Both of these happened at the exact same time," Judy pointed.

"And with the bar footage, gives you an alibi," Bogo said.

Paul had a closer look at the footage of Nick at the bank robbery footage.

"Hey, look closer at the fox in the first footage," Paul asked them, which they did. "See that line around the fox there. While not noticeable at first glance, it deduces that the image of the fox was manipulated from the original."

"In other words, fake footage," Nick cleared up in shock.

Everyone was surprised by what they saw. Fake footage of Nick killing Mal's mother.

"This is how Richard's manipulating Mal," Nick realised. "They showed this to Mal, and with everything else, gave her the motivation to get revenge on me."

"They really went through a lot of trouble just to get Mal to steal those parts for them," Judy said.

"Which means their building something big," Bogo pointed out.

"The boar said that Bellwether thought to small last time," Judy remembered.

"But what could they be doing?" Marcus wondered.

Just as the group continued chatting, Nick walked away and pulled out the picture of him and Mal together and looked at it deeply.

"I can't imagine the torment and confusion you're going through Mal," Nick thought to himself as he looked at the photo.

* * *

 **A.N. Well, that was the ninth chapter, and I hope it cleared up some things, but there's still more confusion to come.**

 **Blue Tagg out, Peace.**


	10. The bomb

**A.N. Hey folks, this is the tenth chapter. Here, we see how things are going with Richard and Mal, and what Richard's ultimate plan is.**

* * *

At an abandoned place, there was a ram who was standing in front of two rhino's that were building something. The ram was wearing a white dress shirt with blue slacks, a blue and black striped tie and a blue vest. He was Richard Rammington. Richard watched as the rhinos put together the machine in front of him.

"Not long now," Richard said to himself as the device came together nicely.

"I take it everything's in order," a voice came. Richard turned to see an armadillo wearing a grey T-shirt, jeans and a brown jacket and rectangular glasses. His name was Walter Simmo.

"Yes, it's almost ready. Soon, all predators will get what they deserve," Richard said with eagerness. "It's a good thing Miss Bellwether managed to contact me and gave me the blueprints to the machine, and led me to you and the rhino's," Richard motioned to the rhinos working on the machine.

"Just fulfilling my mission, but should we be worried that Jason and Kyle have been captured?" Walter asked.

"They don't know where we are right now, and I never told them what we're doing, only that we're continuing Bellwether's work. So, we have nothing to worry,"

"But, they've been your friends since High School," Walter pointed out.

"If they're captured, their deadweight," Richard said without a hint of guilt.

"If you say so," Walter replied. Walter then looked at Richard's attire. "If you don't mind me asking, what's with the fancy wear?"

"Oh this? We're about to accomplish our plans, might as well look fancy for such an occasion," Richard explained. Walter simply shrugged.

The two watched as the device was coming together nicely, but a voice called out to them.

"Richard?" Mal called out to them.

Richard simply rolled his eyes and brought out a remote and pressed the button, which caused a curtain to cover the machine. He then approached Mal, who just standing there waiting for him.

"Yes Malory?" Richard asked with a smile.

"I've been thinking, are you sure that this is the right thing?" Mal asked with concern.

"Like I've told you, you help me get the parts, I help you get revenge on the fox who ruined your life," Richard explained.

"That's the thing, did he really do it?" Mal asked, which caused Richard to look angry.

"Of course, he did. I showed you the footage, he was the one who killed your mom, and he made you think he was your friend, so he could stab you in the back," Richard told her, hoping she won't catch on as he calmed down.

"Though in truth, I did the stabbing first," Mal admitted feeling a bit guilty. "I'm the one who went behind his back and did what he refused to do."

"Look Mal, we're old classmates, weren't we? Would I lie to you?" Richard said put his arm around Mal's shoulder.

"Well, we never properly knew each other," Mal reminded Richard. "We were just in the same class together."

"Another reason for us to trust each other," Richard tried to persuade her.

"Still, I don't…" Mal was interrupted when the computer came one.

Mal looked at the footage that played on the computer. It was the one of Mal's mother being killed. But, it didn't show Nick shooting her, it showed the real wolf that killed her. Mal was shocked and confused by this.

"But, Nick was the one…" Mal said confused, until more images came onto the screen. It was the algorithm that allowed them to manipulate the footage and replace Nick with the wolf.

"This footage, it was…" Mal was saying as she saw the footage with tears, until she was hit with a tranquiliser dart.

She then fell unconscious onto the floor. Richard look to see Walter holding the tranquiliser gun.

"Looks like the jig is up," Walter pointed out.

"Good, I can stop pretending I care about her," Richard said as his true feelings about Mal surfaced.

"I don't get why a had to be nice to her?" Richard complained.

"Because Bellwether ordered you to, as she sent you the footage and the means to contact her, remember?" Walter reminded him, which Richard rolled his eyes.

"Now that we don't need her, what should we do with this stinking predator?" Richard asked as he looked down on her.

"She did help us, we should at least give her a front row seat to witness the ultimate plan," Walter suggested with a smirk.

After thinking, Richard grew a wicked smile as he looked at the unconscious raccoon.

* * *

Back at the ZPD, Nick, Judy, Paul and Bogo were looking at the IT Technician, (a male lynx named Justin Lining), as he looked through the data found on the flash drive.

While that was happening, Paul noticed Nick looked down.

"Still thinking about Mal?" Paul asked.

"I can't imagine all the confusion and pain she's going through," Nick said. "All this happened to her because of me."

"You did what you thought was right," Paul argued.

"Still, If I haven't cut her loose, she wouldn't be in this mess," Nick pointed out.

"It's not cutting her loose that's what you did wrong, it was losing faith in her," Paul pointed out.

"And if you hadn't, would that change the way we met?" Judy pointed.

"Wilde, you may have bad choices. But, the choices Malory made are her own, you cannot blame yourself for what she did. But you can help now by bringing the truth into the light," Bogo reminded him

Nick still wasn't sure. Just then, Justin gasped at what he saw.

"Guys, I found what's on here," Justin said as he pulled up blueprints. "These are plans for a gas bomb. It says that it's designed to symphonise a liquid and turn it into massive vapor and spread all areas around it in a 30-mile radius!"

Everyone gasped in horror when they figured out what it meant.

"That's basically half the city," Paul realised.

"And it can use any liquid, like Night Howler?" Nick realised.

"That's what he meant by Bellwether thinking too small," Judy realised.

"The whole city is in danger," Bogo said. They were all remained silent in horror.

Just then, Nick's phone rang. He picked it up to hear a familiar voice, Mal's voice.

"Nick!" Mal said on the other end, which had a bit of static.

"Mal?!" Nick exclaimed.

"Richard is crazy… he lied to me… footage was fake… Clawdon Building… HURRY!" Mal tried to say with each static, until the phone went dead.

"MAL!" Nick exclaimed as the phone went dead.

"What happened Wilde?" Bogo asked.

"That was Mal, she now knows the footage was fake, and she says they're at the Clawdon Building," Nick explained, which made them realised.

"That's the tallest building in all of Zootopia!" Paul said.

"And it's right in the centre of the city!" Nick confirmed.

"If the bomb goes off from there, it'll spread across the city," Judy realised in horror.

"We need to get their right now!" Bogo ordered.

So, with that, a lot of officers gathered together and made their way to the Clawdon building.

* * *

 **A.N. Well, that was the tenth chapter and the city is apparently in danger of Night Howler, again! What will happen, and what will become of Mal?**

 **Stay tuned to find out.**


	11. Clawdon Building Countdown

**A.N. Hey folks, Blue Tagg here with the eleventh chapter. The city is in danger again, and the ZPD need to stop it and save Mal, what will happen?**

 **Please review and enjoy.**

* * *

The officer's and Paul made their way towards. Once they were at a considerable distance, Nick looked at the top of the building through a pair of binoculars. What he saw, he recognised from the machine from the blueprints.

"That's got to be bomb," Nick theorised as he saw. He then saw a timer on it, which started counting backwards from twenty. "And I see the timer, it's set to go off in twenty minutes!" With that, the officers stepped on it.

The officers pulled up in front of the building and ordered the building to be evacuated. Once civilians were out, the officers made their way up the stairs.

"I hope we get there soon," Judy said with worry.

"And I hope Mal is okay," Nick said, with Paul.

The officers continued to make their way up the stairs, until an alarm went off. Just then a bar barrier came down in front of them, blocking their path.

"They blocked the staircase!" Mchorn pointed out.

"Is there another way up?" Bogo asked.

"We don't have much time to find it, we only have sixteen minutes and counting," Nick pointed out. After seeing the timer, he put the countdown on his phone to keep track how much time they have left.

The officers saw things as hopeless, until Paul went up to the bars and slid between them.

"Hey, I managed to get through," Paul said. The officers were surprised, but that gave them a glimmer of hope.

Nick and Judy tried to slip between them, which they succeeded. This meant they were the only ones who could get up to the top.

"We're the only ones who can stop them now," Judy pointed out. She, Nick and Paul then looked at the officers behind the bars.

"Go. Save the city, again," Bogo told them.

With that, the trio gave the officers a salute, which they returned. After that, the trio ran up the last flight of stairs, leaving the officers by themselves.

"Do you think they can do it?" Mchorn asked.

"This is Nick and Judy we're talking about. If anyone's got a good chance, it's them," Pennington said sounding confident.

"I hope you're right Francine, for all our sake's," Bogo said as he looked at the direction they went in, hoping they can do it.

* * *

Nick, Judy and Paul made their way up the stairs. They eventually reached the top and exited the building onto the roof. From there they could see the bomb just ahead, which only has eight minutes left till it detonates.

"There's the bomb, we still have a chance," Judy said, as they were about to make their way towards it, until a voice called out to them.

"Don't count on it!" a voice called out. They looked to see Richard walking from behind the bomb and blocked the path towards it.

"Richard, you're under arrest for your attempt to infect the whole city in Night Howler!" Judy declared.

"You should be thanking me. Soon every Predator in the city will become what they truly are, and we Prey will be on top!" Richard boasted.

"But Prey will become Savage as well, this city will destroy itself!" Judy tried to warn him.

"Oh please, Prey will always be on top!" Richard said. He then turned to Nick. "And I should also thank your little apprentice as well."

"Where is she!" Nick demanded.

"Right at her front row seat," Richard said as he pointed behind himself.

Nick looked to see Mal tied up with rope and a handkerchief in her mouth. But, what made Nick even more worried was that Richard put a muzzle on her. The muzzle made Nick flashback to what happened to him as a kid with the Junior Ranger Scouts. Nick was now angry as Mal was struggling in her bounds.

Nick then leaned down to Judy.

"You take care of the bomb, Paul and I will handle Richard," Nick whispered to her, which Judy nodded in agreement.

Judy then ran towards the bomb, but Richard tried to stop her. But, Nick delivered a flying kick towards him, which allowed Judy to reach the bomb.

Nick and Richard engaged to paw to hoof combat.

"So, you tricked your old classmate using their deceased parent, use her to steal the parts, and tie her up!?" Nick summed up as they continued to fight.

"Well, it wasn't my idea, it was the boss'. But I trust her, so I went along with it. Also, I've always hated her in class. I hated all the predators in my class," Richard said. That instantly made Nick realise.

"It was you wasn't it, you're the one who got Mal expelled that day," Nick asked, which caught Mal's attention.

"Pretty much. It was an accident at first, but it got rid of one prey, so I decided to continue that throughout my school years, getting predators expelled and slowly making the school's better for everyone," Richard boasted. "Until one predator with a P.I. for an uncle caught on."

Paul then joined in, trying to hit Richard with his paralysing spurs, but Richard kept dodging.

"So, you've always been a psycho, just like my parents," Paul said, which made Richard angry.

"Don't talk about my parents that way!" Richard cried out. "My parents were great mammals, fighting for what they believed in."

"I've heard what they'd done. They publicly shamed, attacked and traumatised many predators for years, they got what they deserved, and now it's your turn," Paul said as he and Nick continued to fight him.

Meanwhile Judy managed to get towards the bomb and opened the hatched to reveal a bunch of wires, which could either stop the bomb, or make it go off.

"Okay Judy, fate of city is in your paws now, no pressure!" Judy mumbled to herself as she examined the wires.

Back with Nick and Paul, they continued to fight Richard. Richard then noticed Judy was at the bomb, so he tried to run towards her, but Nick and Paul blocked him. Richard then got out a blowhorn and squeezed it. That agonized everyone as they covered their ears.

"Special fox bullhorn," Richard said as he stopped. Richard then ran towards the bomb, but Paul kept fighting him, much to Richard's confusion.

"How?" Richard asked in confusion as he saw Paul.

Paul then reached into his ear and pulled out an ear plug, which showed the bullhorn had no effect on him.

"Earplugs, I learned from our last encounter," Paul smugly said as he continued to fight.

Meanwhile with Mal, she watched everything from where she was. She was worried for Nick and the others. She tried to free herself but was struggling. Just then, she lost her footing tripped towards the side. She was now dangling head first over the edge of the building, dangling by her feet, but was slipping.

Nick looked to see Mal's situation and she was close to falling off the building.

"Mal!" Nick exclaimed as he ran toward her.

Mal had lost just her grip and was about to fall but Nick managed to grab her by the tail and was holding on tight.

"I got you Mal!" Nick said as he pulled her up. Nick then managed to pull her up to the side and then removed the muzzle and the gag.

Mal was shocked that Nick saved her.

"You saved me," Mal said in amazement.

"Of course, I refuse to let anything bad happen to you again," Nick said as he undid the ropes.

Nick then notices Richard running towards Judy. Nick then charges at Richard and pushes him to the side. Paul then kicks him away and out of sight.

Judy then looked at the timer, which had one minute, and thirty seconds left. Judy was nervous, as there were only two wires left, a green and black wire left. Judy thought carefully between the two as Nick and Paul watched with worry.

"I hope I'm right," Judy said as she chose the black wire.

* * *

 **A.N. Well, that was the eleventh chapter. So, Nick managed to save Mal, but did Judy pick the right wire.**

 **Find out next chapter.**


	12. Crisis Averted

**A.N. Hey folks, Blue Tagg with the second part of the battle. Last chapter, Judy was about to cut a wire, hoping it was the right on. Is she right, and if she is, what will happen next?**

 **Please review and enjoy.**

* * *

"I hope I'm right," Judy said as she chose the black wire. Just then, a sound was made from the timer. They looked to see the timer had stopped, which only had ten seconds left.

Judy sighed in relief as she fell onto the floor exhausted. Nick and Paul joined her.

Mal looked at the trio. She was relieved that the threat was diverted, but once she looked at Nick, she felt sad and guilty.

She turned around, but when she glanced at them again, she saw Richard getting up, with a Night Howler gun in his hoof, aiming at the other.

Mal gasped in horror as she ran towards them. Richard aimed as Mal kept running. Nick then noticed Mal running toward them, but before he could react, Richard fired the gun, and Mal jumped over them.

"Noooo!" Mal yelled as she jumped in front of them, taking the shot. She then fell onto the ground.

"MAL!" Nick yelled as he ran towards her. He then kneeled as Mal was turning Savage. He then held her paw. "Mal, look at me. It'll be okay, just keep your eyes on me!"

Mal did her best to look at Nick with what she had left, until she went completely Savage.

Nick sighed in defeat as the racoon looked at him. Mal then turned his attention to Richard and pounced him.

"Aaaaagggghhh!" Richard screamed as Mal jumped him and started ripping his wool. "GET HER OFF ME, GET HER OFF OF ME!"

Mal was ripping Richard apart. Just then, the Savage Mal got hit with a tranquiliser dart, courtesy of Judy. Nick walked over to the unconscious raccoon.

"I'm sorry Mal," Nick said as he held her close.

He then heard Richard's breathing. They turned to see Richard, still standing with some of his wool torn off and a few scratches.

"Think you've won, mangy dog," Richard said threating. "I'll have you know…" Richard was interrupted when Nick approached him, looking angry.

"You turned Mal against, caused her much pain, threaten my city, you're asking for trouble young man. And another thing, I'm not a dog, I'm a fox!" Nick said as he grabbed him by the collar and then headbutted the ram and caused him to fall. "Ahh, nobody wins with a headbutt, but I've always wanted to do that."

Nick walks away, but doesn't notice that Richard was getting up, but a bit disoriented. He then tried to attack Nick, but Paul hit him with his spurs and paralysed him.

"And that, ends that," Paul said with a smirk.

Just then, Bogo and the officers managed to get through the barrier and they came out onto the roof with weapons at the ready.

"ZPD!" Bogo exclaimed as he and the other officers entered, only to be stopped by Judy.

"Chief, Chief, it's okay! We kinda got things wrapped up here," Judy explained.

"Oh, well, good work," Bogo said. Bogo then noticed an unconscious Mal and a paralysed Richard. "What happened to those two?" Nick began explaining.

"Richard tried to Savage me, but he ended up Savaging Mal instead. And Savage Mal decided she had enough of him," Nick explained.

"I managed to sedate her," Judy pointed out.

"Then we better get both of them to the hospital," Bogo suggested. "And dismantle the bomb so no one can use it!"

The officers scooped up Richard and Mal and put them both in the back of an ambulance and drove them off to the hospital.

* * *

Down at the Savannah Central Hospital, Mal was given the Night Howler antidote and was put in a hospital bed. Richard was covered in scratches and had a black eye, so he was given a hospital bed, but was put under tight security.

Nick, Judy, Paul and Bogo watched the sleeping Mal as they left her room. Nick, Judy and Paul had told Bogo about what happened on the roof.

"So, Rammington held Malory hostage?" Bogo asked.

"Yes sir," Nick replied.

"And you saved her from falling off the building," Bogo asked again.

"I had to sir," Nick answered the Chief, which caused Bogo to smirk.

"You did a good thing Wilde," Bogo complimented Nick.

Just then a lioness doctor came up to them.

"How's she doing?" Nick asked.

"Malory has been given the antidote and was given a sedative, so she'll be out for at least a day," the doctor explained. "But other than that, she'll be okay." Nick felt relieved.

"What about Rammington?" Bogo asked.

"Well, he gained many scratches, might have to get a few stitches. He's even got a black-eye," the doctor said, which made everyone look at Nick.

"He called me dog," Nick defended himself as he pouted.

"And, the paralysis was strong. But, he'll be okay," the lioness explained.

"Good, because he'll be going away for a long time after what he did," Bogo declared.

"But for now, let's leave them to give them their rest," the doctor suggested.

They all went to the waiting room where it was empty at the moment. Bogo turned his attention towards the officers.

"I just want to say well done for stopping what would have been a crisis, again," Bogo said to them. Then he turned to Paul. "You too Paul Typus."

"Thanks, just doing what I can to help Mal," Paul said. "Guess it's back to my cell then."

The officers then looked at each other.

"Well, we're in the middle of discussing what to do with you, since you did kinda helped saved the city," Judy said to him.

"Really?" Paul asked.

"Well, we're still discussing it. But right now, I've arranged a little something," Nick said with a smirk as he saw what was behind Paul.

"What?" Paul asked in confusion.

Nick said nothing as he turned Paul around. Ahead of Paul was a little platypus girl wearing a green sundress. Paul instantly recognised her as she ran up to him.

"Paulie!" the platypus girl exclaimed as she ran towards him.

"Chloe!" Paul said in excitement as he ran towards her. He then picked her up in his arms and hugged and spin at the same time.

The officers watched with delight as Paul's reunites with his little sister.

Just ahead of them were a hippo couple. The man was wearing a dark blue suit with a white dress shirt and glasses, while the woman was wearing a simple purple dress with a white jacket and a blue beaded necklace. Another hippo girl, a fourteen-year-old wearing a yellow blouse and white jeans, approached them.

Paul and Chloe continue to hug, until they stopped. Paul was still carrying her.

"I can't believe you're here," Paul said to her.

"I missed you," Chloe said as she remained close to him.

Paul then turned his attention towards the Hippo couple.

"I take it your Heath and Gloria Poddle?" Paul asked.

"That's right, it's a pleasure to finally meet you," Heath Poddle said as he shook his paw.

"Nice to meet you too," Paul said as he put Chloe down, but still held her close. He then turned to the teenaged hippo. "And you must be they're daughter."

"Bianca Poddle, a pleasure to meet you," Bianca introduced herself.

"I just want to thank you for taking good care of Chloe." Paul thanked gradually.

"We're more than happy to have her in our life," Gloria said with happiness.

"And it's wonderful to have a little sister," Bianca said as she picked up Chloe.

"They're really lovely," Chloe said while in Bianca's paws.

The officers walked away to let them talk in peace.

"Nice job Nick, calling the Poddle's here," Judy said to Nick.

"Well, the boy deserved to see his sister again," Nick replied.

They walked out of the hospital entrance, only to be swarmed by reporters, asking so many questions.

"What was going on at the Clawdon Building!"

"Was the city in danger just now!"

"Is this another part of Bellwether's plot!"

The reporters kept asking questions, overcrowding the officers. Luckily Nick stepped back before the reporters swarmed. He then did a loud whistle, which caught their attention.

"Everyone let me explain!" Nick declared to the reporters, which made them calm down. "Was there something going on at the Clawdon Building? Yes, yes it was. But don't ask us, ask him." Nick pointed to the right.

The reporters looked to see no one was there. They looked back to where the officers were, only to see they were gone.

"You know, we fall that every time!" one reporter pointed out.

* * *

 **A.N. Well, that was the twelfth chapter, and all's well that ends well right? But there's still when Mal wakes up, and what'll happen to her and Paul now.**

 **Find out in the next chapter.**

 **Hope you enjoyed it and see you next time.**


	13. Confronting a racoon

**A.N.** **Hey folks, Blue Tagg here with the thirteenth chapter. Here Mal will wake up and will resolve things with Nick. And she'll get news that might change her life.**

 **Please leave a good review.**

* * *

A day has passed since the incident, and the whole press was talking about. The ZPD told them what happened about Richard and the bomb, but left out the parts where Mal was involved, but told them that they took her hostage. The bomb was also dismantled and being studied, so everything was well okay again.

Nick was currently sitting next to Mal's bedside, wearing a blue dress shirt and jeans. Judy and Paul were standing at the side. Judy was wearing a pink polo shirt with jeans. And Paul was wearing a grey T-shirt, jeans and a black jacket. Finnick was there as well, wearing black T-shirt and cargo shorts.

They just watched her sleeping. But then Mal began to moan as she began to wake up, much to Nick's relief.

"Mal," Nick said as Mal woke up.

"Nick?" Mal said as she saw him.

"Welcome back, kid," Finnick said.

"Finnick?" Mal said as she saw him as well.

Nick then got closer to her.

"How're you feeling?" Nick asked her with concern.

"I feel a bit woozy, but okay. How long was I out?" Mal asked.

"About a day. You really gave us a scare," Nick said to her.

Mal then looked sad as she turned away from Nick and got deep into the covers. That made Nick sigh.

"Mal, we really need to talk about everything that happened," Nick said to her.

"What else is there to say, I betrayed you and you wish to never speak to me again," Mal said, which made Nick surprised.

"Why would you think that?" Nick asked.

"Because, you were the only one that was truly there for me, and I let you down," Mal said. Nick then put a comforting paw on her shoulder.

"Did you betray me? Yes, yes you did. Did I call the police on you? Yes, yes I did," Nick said. "But, I shouldn't have brought you into my world of conning."

"But, I asked you to teach me," Mal reminded him.

"Yes, but I should've helped you on a better path instead. That was my mistake," Nick admitted. "I had hope of helping you down a better path, but you were never willing to speak to me."

"I wasn't willing, because I was ashamed to speak to you again," Mal said.

Nick then sat on her bed right next her.

"Mal, I want to put the bad things behind us," Nick said. "No more stealing, no more conning. I want us to have a fresh start. I want my little racoon back. Will you accept that me back in your life?"

Mal then looked at Nick with surprise. Shen then got teary eyed as she threw her arms around his waist.

"I'm so sorry! I missed you very much," Mal said as she embraced him. Nick held her tight, with tears coming out of his eyes.

"I missed you too," Nick said as they continued to hug.

At the side, Judy began to cry at the sight of what was happening. Paul was also crying a little. Finnick was trying to hide the fact that he wanted to cry.

Paul then approached the hugging duo, which Mal was glad to see.

"Paul," Mal said.

"Hey Mal, glad to see you're alright," Paul said as he approached.

"But, why are you out?" Mal asked.

"Well, I was busted out by some unknown person. But besides that, I didn't want you to ruin your life further, and I didn't want you to get hurt," Paul explained. Mal felt touched by what Paul said.

"Paul, I don't know what to say," Mal said.

She then got close to Paul and kissed him on the cheek, which caused Paul to get love struck. But Nick gave Paul a look, which caused him to back off.

Just then, Judy approached.

"Since we're all here, I think it's time I properly introduce myself," Judy said, but Mal spoke up.

"I know who you are, Judy Hopps, right?" Mal asked, which Judy nodded in confirmation. "I heard many great things about you."

"And I've heard how close you and Nick were," Judy said as she held onto Nick's paw.

"And I've heard how you managed to change Nick's life for the better," Mal said, which made Nick blush.

"Look at this," Nick said. "My two favourite girls getting along." That made Judy and Mal roll their eyes.

Mal then became sad again.

"So, what will happen now," Mal asked, which then made Nick hold her paw.

"Whatever happen, I promise I will be there for you," Nick reassured her.

"Actually, I don't think you need to worry too much," a voice said to them. Everyone turned to see an armadillo standing at the doorway.

"Dr Digs?" Mal and Paul said as they saw him.

"Good to see you two are doing all right," Dr Malcom Digs said to them. He then turned his attention to the officers. "Dr Malcom Digs, Prison Physiatrist for the Juvenile Detention Centre."

"Pleasure to meet you," Judy said as she and Nick shook his paw. Dr Digs then turned to Mal.

"As for you. Because Richard Rammington held you prisoner, and after seeing the footage of him leading you away, would prove to the court that you would were held hostage the whole time, and you were just days away till your release," Dr Digs explained. "So, if you testify against him in court, you'll be a free lady again."

That made Mal gasp.

"Seriously?" Mal asked.

"I'm serious my dear," Dr Digs confirmed.

That instantly made her excited as she hugged Nick. Mal then stopped hugging him.

"So, what'll happen then?" Mal asked.

"I'm glad you asked, because I have someone I want you to meet," Dr Digs said.

Just then a lemming, wearing a white dress shirt, black slacks and suspenders jumped onto her bed and approached Mal.

"Malory Cooney? My name is Hubert Temmin, leader of Tem's Circus," the lemming, or Hubert, introduced himself.

Mal instantly knew the name of that circus.

"Tem's Circus?" Mal realised. "That's the circus my mother performed as a trapeze artist."

Nick and the others were surprised by that information.

"Wait, your mom was a trapeze artist?" Nick asked, not knowing that before.

"Oh, I never told you cause, well, I just couldn't bear to talk about it," Mal said.

"Well, guess that explains where your acrobatic skills from," Nick pointed out.

"Yes Malory, your mother, Vanessa, started performing for us when she was your age," Hubert explained. "Your mother used to swing across the trapeze as if she could fly. The crowd loved her, everyone loved her. We travelled across the country, until 19 years ago, we came here to Zootopia, and your mother met your father. After that, Vanessa decided to stay in the city with him, that was the last time we saw her." Hubert began to look sad. "The troop was saddened by her death, but we never knew she had a daughter, till Dr Digs contacted me."

"After you told me about your mother, I took footage of you doing acrobatics in the prison and send it to Mr Temmin," Dr Digs explained.

"That's why you asked me to do those acrobatics in prison?" Mal asked.

"Well, that and to give the prisoners something to enjoy," Dr Digs explained.

"And I'm glad he did," Hubert said. "Because after seeing those videos, I want you to join my circus on our next tour across Europe."

* * *

 **A.N. Well, that was the thirteenth chapter. Mal has been given a great opportunity, but will she take it?**

 **Thank you for reading.**


	14. Case not closed

**A.N. Hey everyone, Blue Tagg here with the fourteenth chapter. Here Mal will give Mr Temmin her answer. And, there's more to case then it appears.**

* * *

Hubert Temmin had just asked Mal to perform for the Tem's Circus, the very circus her mother performed at. Mal was instantly surprised by this.

"I, I don't know what to say?" Mal stuttered. But then she thought for a moment as she turned to Nick. "But, what about…"

"You're worried about me?" Nick asked. "Don't be Mal, I've got my faithful bunny over her. But if you want my advice, this is a new chance for you, just like becoming a cop was a new chance for me too. It's your choice."

That made realise that he was right. This was a chance to start anew, and a chance to do something that would make her mother proud. She then turned to Mr Temmin.

"Mr Temmin," Mal began. "I would love to be a member of your troupe."

That made Mr Temmin smile.

"Then I will make the arrangements," Mr Temmin said. He then turned to Nick. "And don't worry Officer Wilde, I'll make sure nothing bad happens to her."

That made Nick feel at ease, but he knew Mal would be okay. Dr Digs then turned to Paul.

"As for you, Paul Typus," Dr Digs said.

"I'm going back to my cell, aren't I?" Paul asked, but Dr Digs shook his head.

"No. Apparently, the prison system said you were on temporary parole. Who wrote that down I have no idea, but after going over things, the jury made a mistake the last time." Dr Digs told him, which got everyone curious.

"What mistake is that?" Paul asked.

"The reason you got arrested was because you robbed places," Dr Digs reminded him. "But that was because your sister was threatened. So, you were under duress, something that was never brought up when making the verdict. So, because of the legal concept of being under duress, and you helping the city, the court madidates that your prison sentence be diminished and that you be released."

That instantly made Paul happy. Happy that he can be free.

"Seriously?" Paul asked.

"I am, but there's more," Dr Digs said. Which made Paul confused. "I understand that before the warthog happened, you had intentions to join the Navy after you graduated High School, am I right?

"That's right, my dad was in the Navy, which made me want to join him," Paul explained. "But I need a High School Diploma to join."

"And you do," Dr Digs said. "I spoke with your school, and they said that with your grades you had before you were pulled out, you had your diploma already, you just need to go get it. So, with your diploma, your being of legal age since last month, **and** because of your service for the city, you're eligible to begin your training."

Paul was instantly happy. He then turned to Mal and hugged her in excitement.

"I can't believe it!" Paul said in excitement.

"Guess we both get a happily ever after," Mal said as they separated. But she then felt sad again. "Even though I unintendedly helped a mad ram into almost destroying the city.

"But you managed to contact me to tell us where you and Richard were," Nick told her, but that caused Mal to get confused.

"Call you? But, I never did call you. After I saw the footage and found out the truth, Richard darted me and knocked me out," Mal told them.

"Wait, that wasn't you?" Judy asked, which Mal confirmed as she shook her head.

"But wait, if it wasn't you, then who called me?" Nick wondered.

"Well, whoever it was certainly led you to Richard and Walter," Mal said, which instantly got their attention.

"Walter?" the group asked.

"Walter Simmo, the armadillo helped out as well as two rhinos. He was there before you guys arrived, but he and the rhinos went to check out the building," Mal explained, which got everyone surprised.

"You mean there were more mammals involved?" Judy asked, which Mal nodded.

"We need to tell Chief Bogo about this," Nick pointed out. Just then, Mal yawned, a sign that she was tired. "Plus, we should leave Mal to get some rest."

As everyone left the room, Nick tucked Mal in as she closed her eyes. Nick then took one final look at his racoon before he left.

* * *

Nick, Judy, Paul and Dr Digs then made their way towards the ZPD. They entered and saw Chief Bogo talking to Clawhauser, and Officer's Mchorn and Pennington.

"Chief Bogo!" Judy called as they approached them.

"Hopps, Wilde," Bogo said as they approached them. "I was just about to call you two, there has been something about the whole ordeal that just came into light."

"Walter Simmo?" Judy asked, which made the everyone surprised.

"Who?" They said in unison.

"Mal told us that Richard wasn't working alone," Nick began to explain. "There was an armadillo and two rhinos that were working for Richard as well."

"What?" Bogo asked. "Well, we'll need to talk to Richard about them. But, there's more."

"The bomb squad looked over the Night Howler Bomb, and they said it was missing important components in it," Mchorn explained. "And to top it off, the liquid infused wasn't even Night Howler serum, just some liquid dyed blue."

"So, the bomb was a dud?" Nick asked.

"Appears so," Mchorn confirmed.

"And it's not just that," Pennington continued. "Richard kept saying that he was working for Bellwether through Emails. But we've interrogated Bellwether and she's denied any knowledge of the plan, we even gave her a lie detector test. And it was confirmed that she had no internet access whatsoever, even checked her cell. Bellwether was not the mastermind behind this."

"I thought something didn't feel right," Nick admitted. "Bellwether probably knows that Night Howler would effect Prey mammals as well. She wanted to divide the city, not make every single mammal crazy. She's smarter than that."

"Your right Wilde," Bogo agreed. "There's no way that Bellwether could mastermind this. Someone else was pulling the strings."

"And there's still the fact about who called me about the Clawdon Building," Nick said, which again caught their attention.

"But Malory called you, didn't she?" Bogo asked.

"Actually, Mal denies calling us," Nick explained. "She said that after finding out the footage was fake, Richie and Walter darted her, knocking her out **then** , tied her up. She said she never contacted me."

"But, if Mal didn't contact you, then who did?" Pennington asked.

Then Paul started to think.

"Say, you don't think it was the same person who busted me out," Paul asked, which got everyone's attention.

"What makes you think that?" Judy asked.

"Well, the one who broke me had wished me to help you guys," Paul explained. "And whoever called Nick, pretending to be Mal, clearly helped us know where they were. So, clearly this mysterious figure was on our side."

"That may be," Bogo said. "But, we don't know his or her true motive behind all of this."

"Which raises the question," Nick said. "Who is this mysterious person?"

* * *

 **A.N. Well, that was the fourteenth chapter. So Mal is joining the circus, Paul is joining the navy, and there's a mystery mammal who had a huge part in this story, but who is he/she?**

 **Next chapter will be the final chapter.**


	15. Log date: True intentions revealed

**A.N. Hey folks, Blue Tagg here with the final chapter. Here Mal will leave for her circus trip across Europe. And we'll find out the true purpose of this whole event.**

 **Enjoy the final chapter.**

* * *

A few weeks have gone by and things were different. Mal testified against Richard Rammington, and after giving him a psych evaluation and with Richard being of age, Richard was sent to the mental asylum, but a different one than the one his parents were sent to, while his two friends were trialled as adults. Mal and Paul were released from Juvie at the same time. Paul was sent to live with his sister and the Poddle's, until he was ready to depart for the Navy. Mal ended up living with Nick again, until the day came when she was due to travel with Hubert Temmin, the first stop being Venice, Italy.

Down at the Zootopia Airport, Nick, Judy, Mal, Paul and Mr Temmin were standing in the waiting area. Mal was wearing a purple t-shirt, black jeans and a denim jacket. Nick was wearing green dress shirt over a white t-shirt and cargo trousers. Judy was wearing a pink and white flannel shirt and jeans. Paul was wearing blue t-shirt and jeans. And Mr Hemming was wearing a dark blue jumper and grey slacks. Mal also had a suitcase and a backpack with her.

"So, I guess the time's finally come," Nick said to her. "I just want you to be carful when in Europe, and make sure you start by having the net under."

"I'll make sure she starts off with the net," Hubert assured him. "Plus, her mother used the net in her performances, so might as well Mal use them as well."

Mal then hugged Nick. She then turned to Judy.

"Promise me you'll keep an eye on him?" Mal asked the bunny.

"I'll be more than happy to," Judy reassured her.

The two then hugged. Mal then turned to Paul.

"So, I guess we both get our lives back on the right direction," Mal said to Paul.

"Yes, we do," Paul replied. "But, are you sure **we** could work out, since long distance relationships never work out."

Mal then put her paw on his paw.

"If anyone can make it work, it's us," Mal said. She then leaned forward, and the two kids kissed for a minute, they then broke up.

Mal then turned towards Nick.

"So, I guess this is it," Mal asked.

"Appears so," Nick replied. He then began to get teary eyed. "Five years ago, I met a young racoon all by herself with no one in the world. Then she grows up to be a beautiful young lady. Now she's leaving the nest."

"Yes, appears so," Mal replied. "You were the only who was truly there for me."

"And I'll always will be," Nick reassured her. "Just, promise me you'll write, send a postcard, Email, Facetime, call?"

Mal then hugged Nick around his neck. Then, Mal said something that she felt she should have said a long time ago.

"I love you dad," Mal said as they continued to hug.

Nick felt happy once she said that. They then let go, and Nick gave Mal a kiss on the forehead.

"I love you too, my little raccoon," Nick said to her.

Just then the P.A. made an announcement.

"Next flight to Venice, Italy, is now boarding," the P.A. announced.

Mal then turned to everyone.

"Guess, this is it," Mal said.

She then gave everyone one last big hug, before she and Hubert made their way to the gate entrance.

She then turned around to take one last look at her friends, her family, who smiled at her as if telling her to go on. Mal then walked down the entrance, towards the plane.

Nick, Judy and Paul then watched as the plane took off into the air. Nick was teary eyed as he watched, which made Judy wrap her arms around him, which made Nick do the same. Paul then felt a paw on his shoulder and looked up to see Nick, smiling at him.

The trio looked on to see Mal taking off towards her new life.

* * *

But, they weren't the only ones to watch the plane leave. Watching the plane in the air was Warden Michael Charge, and Dr Digs, who were outside the Juvenile Detention Centre, watching the plane in the air.

"Guess the girl has a good future now," Warden Charge pointed out. "You did a good thing by calling that circus guy."

"Thank you, sir. These kids may be troubled, but most of them deserve a new start," Dr Digs explained.

Warden Charge then left Dr Digs, who then had a serious face as he walked away.

Dr Digs walked towards his office and sat on his desk which had some files on it. He then turned to a recorder on the desk and pressed the on button, then began talking into it.

 **Log date number 32. Displaying results of Project 13. Subject: Malory Cooney.**

 **I knew Malory had a good heart and when I found out Nick Wilde was her "mentor", and that Richard Rammington was her classmate, I immediately developed this project and put it into action.**

* * *

A flashback showed Dr Digs typing on his computer, which displayed the edited foot of Nick supposedly shooting Mal's mother and the footage of Nick and Finnick at the bar. That indicates that Dr Digs was the one who made the fake footage.

 **Finding Richard Rammington was easy through his Email and it was easy to make him think I was Bellwether.**

Dr Digs then sent Richard the video of the shooting and the designs for the bomb.

* * *

Dr Digs then turned to another figure in his office. Another armadillo, Walter Simmo.

 **And it was simple to send him to my associate, who made sure things went to plan. Like how he alerted the ZPD under the guise of Malory.**

* * *

Another flashback to what happened at the top of the Clawdon Building.

It showed Walter watching the from a secret spot. When Mal was dangling from the building, Walter grabbed a grappling hook, intending to rescue Mal, but Nick rescued her first, much to Walter's relief.

He then turned to see Judy cutting the wires. Walter then got out a remote device. Once Judy cut the wire, Walter pressed the device and the timer turned off, which shows that it was secretly Walter who turned off the device and **not** Judy.

 **Of course, the city was never truly in danger. But, there were some unexpected circumstances.**

* * *

Dr Digs was still recording in his office while going over the files.

 **Like how Richard and his goons to have actual Night Howler with them, or that Mal would jump in front of Officer Wilde to take it for him. But, no matter, things still went accordingly.**

Dr Digs then takes out a file on Paul Typus.

 **And as for Paul Typus…**

* * *

Another flashback showed Paul in his cell, just eating some pudding he got from a game of poker. Paul then began to become all dizzy and fainted, with Dr Digs watching from a far.

 **Understanding Paul's feelings for Malory, and the need to protect those he cares about, even from themselves, has no limits.**

Another flashback showed Dr Digs carrying Paul to the alleyway near the tech lab. He then leaves the backpack for Paul.

* * *

On one side of Zootopia in real time, it showed Paul hugging his little sister. He then turned to the Poddle family and gave them each a hug.

After that, he turned to see a bus and approached it. He then took one last look at his family before entering the bus, taking him to start his Navy training.

 **And because of the details left out in Paul's previous trial, and him "helping" the city, the boy now has a bright future.**

As Paul sat down, he secretly got out a photo of him, Mal, Nick and Judy together, as he smiled at it.

* * *

Looking at the same photo was Nick and Judy. They were in Nick's apartment looking at the photo.

Nick then turned to some other photos that were put up of him and Mal as they were taken out of the box.

 **As for Officer Wilde, his relationship with Malory appears to have grown, but it would be natural for one person who knew someone that activates their parental instincts. And to top it off, Wilde's faith in her appears to be restored, if not grown more.**

Nick then got out a sheet of paper. It was adoption paper with details about Mal, which meant that Mal was officially his adopted daughter.

Judy then held Nick close as the two kissed.

* * *

 **And as for Malory Cooney…**

Inside a circus tent, Malory was unloading her stuff. She turned to see a blue unitarded which was her trapeze uniform. She then turned to see an old poster of a female racoon doing a trapeze. It was her mother.

Mal then turned to an old photo of her and her mother back when she was young. She then got out the photos of her and Nick from back in the day. Mal then got out a teddy bear, the very teddy bear that she always had, which Nick held onto. Finally, she got out a small box, much to her surprise. She opened it to reveal, a pawpsical, curtesy of Nick. Mal began to cry happily once she saw it.

 **Malory needed a right push, and in the end, she ended up on the right path.**

Mal then turned to see Hubert, who indicated her to come. Mal grabbed her uniform and made her way over.

* * *

 **Overall, project results have been a success. Malory Cooney ended up mending her relationship with Officer Wilde, and both Malory and Paul are free kids and are on the right path.**

 **I understand my methods are, what one might call, dangerous, unnecessary, and maybe a little crazy. But, that's what makes them perfect.**

 **And soon, there will be more to come.**

Dr Digs then turns off his recorder as he goes over some more documents, planning his next project.

* * *

 **A.N. Well, that was the final chapter. So, this whole event was orchestrated by Dr Digs in order to try and reform Mal and Paul, pretty over the top. Mal is now following her mother's footsteps and joined the circus and is officially Nick's adopted daughter. And Paul has his wish and is joining the Navy.**

 **This was a good story to write, I hope you all enjoyed it. There will be more stories coming up, so keep an eye on my profile.**

 **But for now, this is Blue Tagg, signing out.**


End file.
